Pherce Johnson: The Taker of Tin's Lightning
by samthezombieguy
Summary: If you think you're a half god. Think again, throw this story into the trash. Really, I can't believe the crazy stuff I got myself into over these past few weeks. So don't even think of the fact you might be a half god. Because you aren't! Hope to gods you aren't. What if PJO was written about Etruscan Mythology?
1. 1: I Intentionally Evaporate My Crush

My name is Pherse, Pherse Johnson. I am thirteen years old and have been all over the state, hopping from one boarding school to the next. I have no idea on why my mother won't let me go to a normal school. But I've never asked. I also have dyslexia and ADHD to make matters worse.

"Johnson! Wake up!" Mr. Schumer smacks my hand with a ruler. He sure does pack a punch for a guy in a wheelchair. His bushy beard and fat stomach filling up my vision.

"Yes'sir." I sit up straight, listening to him yammer on about Roman culture and all that junk. But hey, history class is my favorite. I look over to Gower, who is chewing on his pencil nervously. His floppy rasta cap making me slightly nauseous. He's never washed that thing in all the time I've known the guy.

The next second, the bell rings. I hop up, grab my pack off the back of my seat, and start towards the door. Well, that is what I wanted to do. Mr. Schumer points at me, with a look in his eye that says don't leave.

"What is it with you Johnson? You're failing math, you're failing everything except history," he says, staring at me down his large nose. His tone is more disappointed than angry.

"I don't know Mr. Schumer. It's like I read, or try to. And the words just turn around and I lose my focus. I'm sorry and will try harder." I start for the door.

"Pherse, there is something I want to give you." He holds out a silver ball point pen. "This belonged to my father, he told me to give it to my son. But since I took the shrapnel in the war, I am not able to father a son. So I want you to have it." He reaches out, putting the pen in my T-shirt pocket.

"Uh, thanks Mr. Schumer."

"You will understand it's importance some day," he mutters under his breath, turning back towards the blackboard.

I walk outside into the smelly hallway. For some reason, there aren't any people milling about like they always do. It's like a ghost town. Only the faintest scent of impending doom and gym socks. I continue walking.

"Hey Pherse. Hey, over here!" I hear a shout from down the hall, one I recognize instantly. She comes running up to me. Her long flowing blonde hair brushing her shoulders. It's none other than Callie, the girl I've had a crush on since the beginning of the school year.

"Hey, Callie. Where is everyone?" I ask, walking the last few steps to her.

"Not sure." She pushes her hair behind her ear. "I think they went this way." She runs towards another hall. I go too.

"This is weird!" I stomp the ground. But then she wheels around on her heels, her shoes giving a terrific scream. I throw my arm up to counter. With a flash of light, a pair of scissors comes two inches from stabbing me in the eye. What is she trying to do? Give me a haircut of death.

"It's time to die Pherse," she growls, literally growls. Her teeth sharpen into jagged points, her eyes go into her skull. I have a hard time keeping my pee in my bladder at this point. She swings her other fist towards my face, almost connecting to my nose.

"What is this about!" I shout. She tackles me to the ground, ramming the scissors into my thigh. I grab her arm and start pushing it away.

"Pherse! The pen!" I hear Mr. Schumer shout from the other hall. I instantly grab the silver click pen from my pocket. I click it. And with a quick click of the button, it transforms into a full size Greek kopis, made out of the same silver as the pen was. It looks amazing opposed to the ones in the history books that are all grimy and dirty.

"Johnson! Stop squirming!" She shouts in my face, her breath smells like spearmint. I quickly put my foot against her stomach, and kick her off. I hop up and notice a small trickle of blood on my leg from where the scissors busted me. I swing the kopis with all my strength. And it flies through her stomach region and both of her arms. She looks down and turns into a pile of black dust. The sword turns back to a pen. I've seen some strange stuff in my life, but I think that about tops it.

"Hey Johnson. I need to borrow that pen for a second. I seem to have lost my Philips Space Pen," Mr. Schumer says after rolling his wheelchair up the hall. I hand the pen to him, he writes something on a piece of paper, and hands the pen back to me. He looks at the pile of dust, and makes a tsk tsk tsk sound. "The school board isn't paying the janitors enough, I'll tell you what."

I stand there with my mouth agape, feeling like a crazy person. I click the pen, and nothing happens. Well, other than the obvious. He rolls his chair down the hall, back towards the classroom. I start back towards my dorm. Just waiting for the day to end.


	2. 2: I Nearly Get A Haircut Of Death!

I walk into my dorm, being greeted Gower sitting on the top bunk, sipping on a Pepsi, his acne covered face gleaming. I walk over and get one out from the box. It is one thing that seems to calm my nerves down. Why was Mr. Schumer acting so weird back there? What was with the pen? What was with Callie?

"Gower, you won't believe what happened after class," I say. "Callie turned into a monster." I feel as stupid as I sound. But Gower understands me... well, most of the time anyway.

"Who's Callie?" He looks dumbfounded.

"She's the girl I've been crushing on all year." I smash an empty can under my shoe.

"Doesn't ring a bell," he says as he gets down off the top bunk. He makes a grunt when his crippled legs touch the ground. He grabs his walking stick things. "We should study for our test. Its due day after tomorrow."

"Yeah, Yeah, I'll get on it." I lie. Infact I never did. I never studied for that test. Ended up getting myself let go because of my bad grades. I just stopped caring. I asked every person I knew about Callie also, but no one remembered her. I totally lost my mind after I overheard Gower and Mr. Schumer talking in one of the class rooms.

"It's just not safe for Pherse anymore. He's going to get killed," Mr. Schumer said.

"I know. The Haze can only do so much," Gower replied. I booked it out of there. I was already at my witsend with the last three weeks of school. But did Mr. Schumer and Gower know about Callie?

The last day of school is tomorrow. The last one of the year. I'm so happy to go home, to see my mom and live a non-crazy life, I hope. I hear the click and clack of Gower walking into the dorm, his walking sticks making all the ruckus.

"You all packed?" He asks me, pulling his own packed suitcase from the closet.

"Yeah. All ready," I reply, hefting my suitcase onto my bed.

"Headmaster says we are loading up tonight." Gower walks out of the room. I think he's been acting strange since that talk he and Mr. Schumer had.

"Wait up!" I run after him, grabbing my case too.

"What is it Pherse?" He turns around.

"What is it with you? Ever since you've had that talk with Mr. Schumer, you've been acting so strange." I adjust my case.

"Talk with Mr. Schumer? What are you talking about Pherse?"

"I heard you talking with Schumer, talking about how it's not safe anymore."

Gower turned pale, his legs started to tremble.

"I don't know what you're talking about." His voice cracks.

"Do you know about Callie?" I shout at him.

"What? What's that Mr. Drax? Coming!" He bolts down the hall, dropping his bag. He definitely knows something I don't.

The rest of that day was telling everyone I've grown to know this year good bye, mostly from selling some candy out of my dorm. The floor advisor told me to stop, but I never did. I've been doing it all year. I throw myself onto my bed, and a deep sleep takes over me.

"Wake up Pherse. We're late for the bus." Gower shakes my shoulders. I jump out of my warm bed and throw on some clothes. We bolt down the stairs and make it to the bus before they shut the doors. It was a great relief to sit down after running down four flights of stairs.

The only thing I am going to miss about old Macey Prep School is the great view of the ocean it had. It was just amazing to look at. I would often sneak out onto the roof and look at it. It just made me feel great.

When we got about fifty miles out of the school, the bus broke down. Jarring the whole thing around. Everyone groaned. But the driver just told everyone to sit still while he fixed it. I made the mistake of looking into the field we were stopped by. I saw her, Callie.

"Gower! Look!" I shout, pointing at her. My heart quickens.

"What!" He snaps his head up from his phone. But she ducks down into the bush before he can see her.

"Nevermind." I look back toward the field. The pen/kopis feels heavy in my pocket. I crack the window next to the driver who is repairing a flat tire. A thin bead of sweat dripping down his nose. "Hey! I gotta whiz. I'm going to go to that field over there."

"Ok, make it quick, I'm almost done." He nods.

I climb out of the back door, making a quick dash toward the field. I whip out the pen, and it clicks into the sword. "Callie! I'm going to end you!" I shout.

"Stop calling me that!" She stands up. "My name is Culsu." She pulls out a pair of scissors, that appears to be three feet long. I start to sweat. I glance back towards the bus, and no one is looking at me.

"Who?"

"Demons of the underworld, Aita." she looks at me, her blood red eyes reflecting my every move.

"Where?" I swallow hard.

"Hades you idiot! Hades!" She jumps towards me, I side step and slice upwards, but she blocks it with the rusty handle of the barber's tool. I jump back, and swing towards the open spot on her left flank. The sword swishes across the ribs and starts spraying dust out from the cut. Then that is when she explodes into more black dust again. I high tail it back to the bus.


	3. 3: Gower Unknowingly Loses His Trousers

Ok, time to confess. I totally ditched Gower after I got off the bus at the station. He was acting weird and was starting to creep me out pretty bad. So I ditched him. I hopped onto another city bus that is going to Seattle while he was in the bathroom.

When I walk into my mom's apartment, stupid Kade Milano is sitting there, playing cards with his buddies. He's this stupid guy that my mom chose to marry. He smells like gorgonzola cheese and is constantly stinking up the house with his cheap cigars. He treats my mom like total garbage. Which is not right because she is probably the sweetest lady ever.

"Peter, where is the green you owe me?" He jumps up from the table, dropping his hand of cards so everyone can see.

"What green?" I dropped my bag on the floor.

"You know, from when you bought those Pokemon cards." He sticks his grubby hand out, it has black gunk under the nails.

"That was like three years ago." I step back.

"I need gas money." He clenches my shirt in his fist. Whispering this.

"Kade, lay off the kid," one of his friends says.

"Go to your room! I don't want to hear you for the rest of the night!" He shoves me into the hallway. I run into my room and slam the door as hard as I can. Gosh I hate him.

Shortly after that, I hear the front door opening and then Kade shouting something. Something that sounded like, "It's bout dang time Alley. Did you get the beers?" I run out of my room, throwing my mom into a giant hug. I missed her while I was at Macey.

"Pherse. Oh I've missed you," she says to me.

"Where are the beers?" Kade shouts.

"They're in the bag," mom mumbles.

"Well, it ain't just gonna teleport to my hand!" His face is red as a beet.

"Get it yourself!" I scream. I've hardly ever talked back to Kade in my life. But his shouting at my mom is what set me off.

"What is that Peter?" He gets up from the table, cupping his hand around his ear.

"I said get your beer yourself. You're like forty five and can't get your own dang beer!" I spit.

"Ok, ok." He puts his hand to his belt, and unbuckled it. Sliding it off. He raises it behind his head, bringing it down. It connects with my shoulder. I scream.

"No! Stop!" Mom shouts, stepping between us. But Kade pushes her. Now that is what set me off too. For some reason, the can of grape soda fell off onto the floor, landing right in front of Kade's feet. And when he stepped forward, he slipped and landed backwards on the table. His fat self breaking it.

"Come on Pherse, let's go." Mom grabs my hand, and we walk out of the front door. We get in Kade's vintage 1978 Trans Am.

"I hate him mom! Why would you have married a guy like that?" I ask.

"You'll understand one day Pherse." She reaches for her phone that is ringing. "Oh, hello Mr. Schumer!"

My heart drops into my toes. I'm sure he's going to tell her about my bad grades.

"Oh! he did? Ok we will head up there right away! Thank you." She hangs up the phone.

"What was that?" I ask.

"He says you left your backpack in your dorm." She looks at me. But I'm 100% sure I carried it into the apartment.

"Why did dad leave?" I ask. We hardly ever talk about my dad; I dislike him sort of also. He left me and mom in the dust when he left. But I'd take anyone over stinky Kade. I was too young to remember him, but when I think about him, or even talk about him, I feel a warm, distant glow.

"I've told you before. He is too busy to be tied down to one person, to one home, to, to, one family." Her eyes are dreamy looking. "But I'm sure of one thing, he loved you, and he loved me. That is all that matters."

We speed down the road, and of all people, we pass Gower walking down the road. And mom, being the person she is, stops, asking if he wants a ride.

"What were you walking down the road for?" I ask when he gets in.

"I felt like taking a walk," he replies nervously. The last time I checked, Gower lived in Seattle also, and that is like 15 miles away from here. "Thanks Alley." That's pretty weird, I've never even mentioned my mom to Gower.

We start driving again. And after awhile, the sun starts setting, the warm glow setting into the night. But then mom passes the turnoff to the school. And when I ask her about it, she just speeds up.

"So, uh, Gower. How do you know my mom's name?" I question him. Really confused.

I look back at him, and he screams, "Alley! Look out!" And the next thing I know, Kade's Trans Am gets throw off the road into a ditch. I slam my head into the headrest, and feel my arm get cut on a piece of glass. Mom opens the door and jumps out. I look back at Gower, and he is sprawled out, upside down, a trickle of blood on his eyebrow. I grab his shirt and start pull him out. But his pants get stuck on a piece of metal, pulling them off. His legs are that of a goat, not crippled at all.

em off. His legs are that of a goat, not crippled at all.


	4. 4 My Mom Teaches Me How To Tussle A Bull

"Stay away from my son!" I hear mom shout. I snap out of my daze and jump out of the car with Gower's limp body in my arms. And see something even weirder than Gower's legs. A fifteen foot tall bull, his only article of clothing is a pair of tighty whitey underwear. Mom is swinging a muffler at him. The last time I checked, Greek Myths were that, myths.

"Pherse! Get to the hill!" She shouts, "if he runs at you! Jump out of the way! It is hard for him to turn fast!" She adds out of breath. She turns away from the Minotaur and starts sprinting towards the hill, which has a large oak tree at its peak. I throw Gower over my shoulder, and mom turns around and helps carry him also. But the Minotaur is gaining. We get to the top of the hill, and the Minotaur grabs Mom in his fist, crushing her to death. Then she explodes into a plume of gold powder. I instantly feel like sobbing.

"Pherse! Get on the other side of the tree!" Gower shouts in my ear. I run to the tree, leaning Gower against it.

"Ok Mr. Minotaur! Time to meet your maker!" I shout, whipping out my kopis, throwing all of my anger into the words.

"Minotaur? Who?" He billows in a giant voice. His face looks really confused for a bull.

"You! You idiot!" I throw a rock at him.

"My name is Thevrumines! Not Minotaur!" He seems genuinely angry at this. And I have no idea what he is talking about. I charge, slashing the air with my sword, he runs right at me. I spring out of the way and he busts his head into an invisible wall, throwing himself backwards on his back. Something seems to be tugging at my brain, because I jump at him and snap off one of his ivory horns almost automatically. He bellows and kicks me backwards into a tree. His giant hoof knocking my ribs into my chest. But somehow, I get up, throwing myself onto his stomach, driving the horn into his heart. I fall back down after that, and black out.


	5. 5: I Play Euchre With A Horse-Man

When I come to from my little spat with the Minotaur/Thevrumines, I'm laying in some sort of old fashioned hospital room. Some girl is pouring honey colored liquid into my mouth. I start gagging and coughing. But the drink tastes like hot chocolate, so it could be worse.

"There there," she says nervously after turning me onto my side and slapping my back. She has light blonde hair, and looks to be about my age or a little older.

"Where am I?" I ask, sitting up in my bed.

"Come out when you're able." She walks out of the door, ignoring my question.

So a few minutes after that, I climb up from my bed and start for the door. My shredded clothes are laying on the bedside table, but I just keep on the sweatpants and t-shirt I was wearing when I woke.

I step out onto a balcony that overlooks a large forest. Gower is sitting in a lawn chair, holding a shoebox in his furry lap. Man, those goat legs creep me out a little.

"What's with the shoebox?" I ask, sitting in the chair next to him.

"Its for you actually." He hands me the box, and I take the lid off. Inside is the large horn that I broke off from the Thevrumines.

"Thanks man." I put the horn into the box again.

"Pherse, come over here!" Mr. Schumer shouts from the end of the balcony, then turns around, going back the way he came. I dash over there. And Mr. Schumer is at a table with some short tubby guy. He is balding and has a five o'clock shadow.

"So this is that Frank guy you were talking about?" The balding guy asks.

"Yes, this is Pherse," Mr. Schumer replies.

"So Pherse, do you play euchre?" The balding guy asks me as Gower walks up behind us.

"I don't think I know what that is." I sit at the table next to Mr. Schumer, and Gower sits across from me.

"Uh," Gower grunts nervously, "are you going to eat that Mr. F?" He points to the bald guy's empty Diet Pepsi can.

"Go ahead." He pushes it towards Gower, who picks it up and starts chomping down on it. I guess since he is part goat, he acts like a goat. Mr. F reaches under the table and gets out another Pepsi.

"What is this place?" I ask, looking out onto a small like in the middle of the forest. It's surface glimmering and shining.

"It is Camp Half-God Pherse." Mr. Schumer replies.

"Half-God? Why am I here?"

"Well you are a half god." I instantly feel crazy. The last time I checked, I wasn't a half god, or whatever that is.

"Like, what, an offspring of a god?"

"Exactly, you are the son of some god, yada yada yada. Let's play cards!" Mr. F interrupts, shuffling cards.

"Which god?" I push.

"We don't know. But you will be claimed soon, everyone is normally claimed by the first day." Mr. Schumer picks up his hand.

"So is Greek myth real?" I feel like an idiot for not knowing.

"Greek, no. Etruscan, yes." Mr. Schumer stands up from his wheelchair, his legs unfold from the inside like some sort of magic trick. And he is a seven foot tall Satyr. But unlike Gower, his legs aren't that of a goat, they are that of a horse. I remember reading about Etruscan History in Mr. Schumer's class. Like it used to be the center of Italy before the Roman Republic took over.

"Stop showin' off horse boy. Play some cards!" Mr. F shouts again, this guy must be really into card games. Mr. Schumer just laughs.

"So you're a satyr?" I ask him. I'd say that is a pretty big shell shock. I've known the guy for the past year and had no idea. That must be one roomy wheelchair.

"Call me Sime!" He bellows.

"Is Gower's name Sime also?" I mock.

"No, his name is Gower. He is not a Sime, he is Hathna. Closer to what the Romans called a Faun."

"It's true!" Gower shouts, spraying bits of soda can out of his mouth.

I look over and that blonde haired girl, the one who was feeding me that honey stuff walks over. She is carrying a large glass of what looks like Sprite or something towards the table.

"Drink this." She hands me the icy cold glass. "It takes on the taste of your favorite food. It will also help mend your broken ribs."

"Thank you." I sip the glass and it takes on the taste of the chocolate chip cookies my mom would make for me when I was younger. The warm deliciousness settling my stomach. I push on my ribs and feel that they are sore. But not too bad. I hand the glass back to her.

She just nods. Her light grey eyes are nice to look at. They almost seem like metal, like steel or something.

"So, there are gods? Who have kids with humans? And this is where they live?" I ask Mr. Schumer who is still standing, his surprisingly big arms crossed over his chest.

"Yes. We also train them." He pulls his long horse ears out from his curly hair. "I know about your run in with the demon Culsu, Pherse. It's a good thing that your mom brought you here, Cul might have still been on your tail."

"So my mom knew about this place?"

"Yes and no. When you were little, your father told your mother where this place was. And when the time comes, when the monsters become too much to handle, your mother would bring you here. That is why I called her the other night, to tell her about your run in with the demon."

"Ok."

"And the no part, is that your mom doesn't entirely understand the meaning of this, or who your father was."

"And what does a demon want with a half god?"

"Geez kid! What is this? Twenty questions!?" Mr. F blurts out.

"Well, the beasts of Aita want to inconvenience the gods as much as possible. It's just what they do." He finishes, his tone is obviously annoyed at answering so many questions. "Alizabeth, would you mind showing Pherse to the Trums cabin, and showing him around camp?"

"Of course not, Mr. Sime," she says in a butt kiss tone. "Follow me." She walks down the stairs of the balcony.


	6. 6: I Become A Ruler Of The Latrine

We start away from the big, farm house looking building. Sime and Mr. F still playing card games and drinking coke. Gower sitting there, gnawing on the pull tab of the soda can. I need to get over the fact that my History teacher is half horse. And that my best friend is half goat.

"You drool a lot when you sleep," Alizabeth says after we are probably one hundred yards away from that house. She seems to have ditched that butt kiss tone, which is for the better, because it sounds stupid.

"Um, thanks?" I reply. Everyone is walking around in blue t-shirts. They have the words 'Camp Half-God' written across the chest, and under that is a picture of Pegasus. Some of them have their camp number on their back. Alizabeth's has a big six across the back, and under that it reads _Menrva._ So I'm assuming that is the name of her godly parent.

"You'll be staying in the Trums cabin until you are claimed." We walk past a large vollyball court. And on the other side of the path we are walking is an archery range.

"Who's he?" I question.

"Hermes is what the Greeks call him. I'm sure you know who he is," she replies.

"Yeah." In the north west of camp, there is a large arena looking thing, and to the north east is a large open walled, eating pavilion. It has large columns and marble tables.

I am not saying I'm some sort of hunk, but it seems everyone stops to stare at me. I look back towards the big farm house and the curtains shift as if someone was standing there. Call me paranoid if you want.

"So who is that Mr. F guy?" I ask as we walk past a large open walled blacksmith shop. Again, people seem to stop hammering on their anvils, or stop pushing the bellows to look at me. All of them greasy and sad looking.

"Fufluns."

"Who?" I ask again.

"Dionysus, or Bacchus," she replies with a sarcastic tone. Like how am I supposed to know? What on earth is Etruscan Mythology anyway?

We walk into this large semi-circle of fourteen or fifteen cabins, all of which are decorated differently. One has barbed wire and landmines sticking up from the ground. Another one has amazingly chiseled architecture and large columns made from white marble. She guides me to one that is pretty normal looking compared to the others in the circle.

"Hey Liz. Is this the new guy Sime was talking about?" A tall handsome guy walks out from the cabin. His hair is ashy blonde, and he has a small scar on his cheek. He looks to be sixteen or seventeen.

"Hi John. Uh," Alizabeth says, the tops of her ears are as red as a brick. "This is Pherse. He is the new guy."

"Come on in Pherse, make yourself at home!" John says in his charming voice. "Welcome to camp Half-God."

I look inside of the musty cabin, and everyone has their eyes glued to me. Which is a little unsettling. Take a picture, it'll last longer.

I look back at Alizabeth and her face is red like a beet. Looks like someone has a crush. "Come on Pherse. Lets finish the tour."

The two of us walk towards a large circular building, obviously a bathroom, judging by the three door ways. One reads, boys, one reads girls, and the third reads Hathnas.

"Lizabeth! New kid right!?" A large girl runs up to us from the edge of the forest on our left. She's not like fat, but like giant. She probably is a foot taller than me, and has fifty pounds also. Her beady eyes looking down at me from under a bronze helmet with a blue crest on top.

"Yes Berniece, this is Pherse, the new kid." Alizabeth nods towards me. I am kinda getting tired of people calling me the _new kid._ "Pherse, this is Berniece, daughter of Juran, the god of war."

"Nice to meet you." I put my hand out for a shake. I'm not sure about everyone else here, but I'd rather not get on the wrong side of the half god daughter of a war god. It's not on my agenda for my stay at camp.

The large girl whistles and a group of people come running from the woods also. All of them wearing helmets like hers. "let's show the new guy to the bathroom. He needs initiation," she commands in her gruff voice. I have a strong feeling that she is one of the campers that live in the cabin with landmines in front.

A burly kid throws me in a full nelson and starts dragging me towards the bathroom. I start squirming around like a limp noodle trying to get from his hold. But too late, we walk into the threshold of the boys room. Bernice kicks open one of the stalls with her large combat booted foot. The kid shoves me in, and then Bernice grabs the back of my neck, pushing my head towards the toilet.

Now, I'm not going to lie, I've had swirlies before. But it's not fun. And I can't let people at camp thinking I am some sort of dweeb. I brace my arms on the ring of the toilet. I feel my arms grow tired after like five seconds. The pipes in the toilet start cracking, which is a little scary.

Then I loose my grip, and so does Bernice. One second she is there, the next second she isn't. A giant stream of high pressure water is spraying from the toilet, completely missing me, and spraying her. I hear water running from the faucets on the sinks. I turn around and look. And all of Berniece's posse is scattered on the outside of the bathroom, soaking wet. The floor in the bathroom is soaking wet, the walls are soaking wet, Alizabeth's hair is dripping.

"You'll pay for this Pherse!" Bernice shouts, getting up, her shirt is covered in mud.

"I want you on my team for capture the flag," Alizabeth says after punching me in the arm. I guess I'm starting to fit in.


	7. 7: Supper Goes Up In Flames

I felt pretty guilty about that whole toilet trick. I did. I felt it wasn't my fault. But deep down I felt it was. It's hard to describe what I felt. I soaked the whole bathroom, I pity the guy who has to mop it up. I soaked Alizabeth and crazy Bernice. It was crazy.

"Look, I'm sorry about all of that," I said.

" _Look_ , it's fine." We started walking towards that one eating pavilion I was talking about. "Most of the campers have no self control over their abilities when they arrive." She squeezed a handful of her hair and it splattered the grass.

"I just want to go home!" I shouted, wringing out my shirt sleeve.

"This is your home!" She turned me around. "Stop acting like a brat! What would your mom think?" My heart jumped into my toes. She said the M word and made me think about her. I needed to get my mom back at all costs. She would do it for me, so I should do it for her.

"Sorry." I'm not going to lie, I felt a lonesome tear drop in the corner of my eye. "Allergies! Ha!" I turned around.

"Yeah…"

"So, who's Menrva?" I questioned.

"She's the goddess of architecture and knowledge," she said proudly. "Her Greek equivalent is Athena."

"When'd you figure out who your mom was?"

"About an hour after I arrived here."

"Oh. When will I be _claimed_?" I asked as we walked past the smelly blacksmith shop again.

"Sorry to put you down Pherce. It sometimes takes a while. Some don't even get claimed at all and end up in the Turms cabin indefinitely."

"Mr. Sime talked about how monsters hunt down half gods and such. What keeps 'em from coming in here?" I asked. My pen suddenly feeling heavy in my pocket.

"The borders are enchanted so that the monsters can't come in. Occasionally a stray Chthonic Daemon or will sneak in, but nothing too strong or powerful." She reached into the collar of her blue shirt and pulled out a beaded necklace. It had six beads, three on either side of what looked like a large bear claw.

"Wassat?"

"A claw from Tuchulcha the Menrva cabin made a designed trap for. You should've seen it." She said proudly.

"Does something live up there in the attic?" I remember the curtains moving.

"The Spirit of Vegoia. She prophecies. You'll probably have to talk with her tomorrow. All new campers do."

After Alizabeth and I finished our little chit chat, I told her that I wanted to put the shoe box full of Thevrumines into my cabin. So I walked back there to the ring of cabins, trying my best not to get lost or murdered by the group of Bernice's crew running around playing frisbee with a landmine.

I walked into the cabin and everyone was being loud, the music on the boombox was really loud, everyone was talking at once. I spotted that one John guy from earlier and walked over to him. His face was probably the calmest of the lot. He was reading a magazine and was the only one not talking.

"Pherce man! How's it hanging?" He stood up, slapping the magazine onto his pillow. It was an issue of Mythology Weekly with a large Hydra on the cover. For some reason I haven't heard of it.

"Hanging pretty good," I said and gave him a fist bump when he put his fist out.

"Hey, all the bunks are full right now. So I put your new sleeping bag over there!" He pointed to an alcove next to the window. It could be worse. I put my shoe box there.

"I didn't bring a sleeping bag," I said. I wanted to make sure he didn't accidentally give me someone else's sleeping bag by mistake. That happened at Macey once and I had ringworm for three months straight, no joke. It was gross and everyone called me Molly Ringworm.

"Don't sweat it man. I _borrowed_ it from the gift shop." He turned it over and there was a ink stain from one of those exploding ink tags. It looked dry so I didn't worry about it staining my clothes. Alizabeth said that Turms was like Hermes, and he was the god of thieves and all of that. So it just makes sense.

"Thanks."

"What do you say? Let's go get dinner." He stood up and headed for the door.

The two of us walked towards the large eating pavilion, constructed out of sandstone pillars. There were several braziers placed throughout that cast an eerie shadow when they shine through the large columns that hold up the roof. It was a beautiful structure.

I followed John to a white marble table that had a engraving of a winged helmet which was filled with pearly silver. It was beautifully crafted but was a smidge too small for the Turms kids. We had to squeeze to get all of us to fit.

"Hey Mr. John. We have another table on order. It should be here soon," Mr. Sime said as he walked past.

"Hey Pherse, check this out." John gripped a large silver goblet in his hand from the center of the table. "I'll have hot chocolate with marshmallows… And M&Ms." The cup instantly filled itself with the drink he said he wanted.

"Let me try!" I yelled louder than I intended to. "Wild Cherry cream soda. The kind from Jake's candy store in downtown Seattle." And I couldn't believe it. It filled with the fizzy red drink that me and mom loved. Every time we'd drive over to Seattle we would stop at that Jake's candy store and get our fill. It was amazing.

The food magically appeared on our plates. Large steaks and large potatoes. It looked delicious. I picked up my fork and knife and was just about to dig in. But then the kid across the table from me started staring. Everyone from my table and every other table in the pavilion stood. One by one they would put a portion of their meal into one of the braziers as the room filled with tasty smelling smoke. All of them would say a silent prayer then go back to their seat and finish what was left of their meal.

I pushed half of my roasted potatoes and steak into the fire where it shriveled up and turned black. I didn't know what to say, so I just bowed my head and closed my eyes. _Dad, if you're listening to me, I hope that I get claimed soon._

I high tailed it back to my table and started chowing down. The pavilion went up in laughter and jokes. I saw Alizabeth's table across from mine. She was laughing and smiling. I didn't even know she knew how to do that. She's always so serious.

After dinner we sat around a large camp fire, roasting marshmallows and singing cheesy songs. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere, somewhere where people knew what I was feeling, how I felt. It just was like a large burden was lifted off my shoulders. Some kid from the Apollo cabin… Excuse me, Apulu cabin brought out a bouzouki and started jamming out. It was just a really good time.

I walked back to the Turms cabin with John and a few other guys. I was pooped and fell asleep the second my face hit the stolen pillow.


End file.
